McLaren’s $2.3M Speedtail Is the Worthy Successor to the F1

McLaren’s $2.3M Speedtail Is the Worthy Successor to the F1

Published: October 27, 2018 | By: American Luxury Staff

It’s been less than a decade since McLaren Automotive was founded (read: revived), but the obsessive fanatical types at the British exotic carmaker have managed to squeeze in an unprecedented series of groundbreaking designs in that relatively short period of time, and carve out a presence in their chosen niche market that’s as formidable as sports car firms many decades older. If there is one automaker today that fits the definition of enfant terrible, it is McLaren.

As their momentum has increased, their designs have become more complex and forward-thinking, and more interesting. Just this week, the folks at McLaren let the world have a peek at their new model, which articulates well McLaren’s present sense of self-potential and automotive possibility. It’s a fascinating beast, and its form takes the aggressive idea of grace particular to the company to a remarkable new place.

The car’s power will take a driver to a few new places, too, and perhaps a little sooner than expected. The car’s horsepower rating is 1,035, and—as it may be a hybrid powertrain, although McLaren has not yet revealed that information—launch times are expected to be thrilling: less than 13 seconds to 186 miles per hour. The model’s top speed is 250 MPH.

The Speedtail’s design is a kind of homage and update of the company’s 1993 F1 race car. The centering of the driver and the light weight harken back to the F1’s period importance. One particular feature that certainly fits neatly in the ‘update’ component of the equation are the active foils of ‘flexible’ carbon fiber; details on the feature are scant, but McLaren will elucidate soon.

According to current requirements for public roads, the Speedtail will not be street-legal in the U.S. That hasn’t stopped American enthusiasts, of course, any more than the $2.3 million sticker price might.

Forty of 106 earmarked for production will come to U.S. shores in 2020.

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